The third level

The Third Level

-Jack Finney
Ø Charley-31 old man àmarried to Louisa
Ø He has lost himself à several times in the Grand Central Station
Ø He bumps into new doorways and new corridors. Every time he had new
experience.
Ø He evens finds himself in long tunnels he never wished to go.
Ø His psychiatrist friend believes that he had been day dreaming to escape
from the unhappiness of his present life.
-But Charley does not believe so.
- He has been to the third level where he can find means to escape into the
past.
- He is however never again able to find the third level.
Ø He tells his psychiatrist friend Sam about a peaceful small town named
Galesburg.
Ø The Psychiatrist is infected by Charley’s dream. He himself escapes into
it.
Ø The story is a mixture of reality and fantasy.
Ø Logically no one can travel back into time, except in one’s imagination.
Ø But Sam as well as Charley has experienced it.
Ø Charley even finds a letter with a postmark dated July 18, 1894 written
by Sam after he has been there for 2 weeks.
Imagination:
· He even began to believe that the Grand Central was like a huge tree
ever pushing new tunnels, new corridors like roots under the
ground
· He finds into a long tunnel and comes out in the lobby of a hotel.
· Another time he came into the building of an office.
The Third Level:-
Ø There were certainly only 2 levels in the Grand Central Station.
Ø But Charley asserted that there were three levels
Ø He talked about it to his friend à one of them was a psychiatrist.
· Said that it was nothing but day dreaming.
· He said that it was only an escape from his present life.
 · Modern world was full of fears, tension and worries
· The Third Level provided him with an exit from them.
Ø His friends agreed with the psychiatrist.
Ø They said that his hobby of stamp collecting was also a temporary escape
Stamp Collecting
Ø Charley did not agree with them.
· He said that his grandfather started the stamp collection.
· And his grandfather’s days were peaceful. He had no reason to
escape.
Ø Besides, President Roosevelt also collected stamps.
Charley reaches the third level
Ø One day Charley worked late at his office.
Ø He wanted to reach home soon.
Ø He went to the Grand Central Station to catch a train. He walked down
the first level. àHe took another flight of stairs àto reach the second
level.
· But he got lost àwalking down the corridor he had reached the third
level.
Escape into the past
Ø The third level was entirely different and old fashioned.
Ø There were fewer ticket windows.
Ø The information booth was made of wood.
Ø The lights were open flame gaslights.
Ø There were brass spittoons in the floor.
Ø Men had beards and sideburns.
Ø Women wore old-fashioned dresses and high buttoned shoes.
Ø The railway engine was small with a funnel shaped stack.
Ø Every thing looked a century old.
Ø He walked to the news boy à He glanced at ‘ The World’
· The lead story was about President Cleveland.
· Later Charley found out from the library files that it was printed on
June 11, 1894.
Two Tickets for Galesburg:-
Ø Charley wanted to go to Galesburg.
Ø He had been there in his childhood days.
 Ø It was a wonderful town wit h tremendous trees and frame houses.
Ø In 1894 it was a haven of peace and tranquility. àPeople lived a carefree
life.
Ø He wanted to go to Galesburg. à He paid the fare in modern notes, which
were different from those in circulation in 1894.
Ø The clerk thought that the notes were fake and Charley was trying to
cheat him.
Ø He threatened to get him arrested. But he fled as fast as he could.
· The next day he brought old style notes from a coin dealer
· He got less than 200 old dollars for 300 new dollars.
· But he could never again find the corridor that led to the third level.
The Psychiatrist friend goes to Galesburg
Ø Charley’s wife was worriedà when he had bought old style notes.
Ø So Charley turned to his stamp collection.
Ø In his grandfather’s collection à He discovered an envelope.
Ø The postmark showed that it had been there since 18 July, 1894.
Ø It was a letter from Sam.
· He had already gone there.
· Psychiatrist urged Charley to continue to work for the 3 level, and
join him in the Galesburg of 1894. It was a wonderful place.

Ø Charley learnt that Sam had bought eight hundred dollars worth old
currency.

Summary (EVANS)
Evans Tries an O- Level
--Colin Dexter
 Evans is a prisoner in H.M prison, Oxford.
 He is popularly known as ‘Evans the Break’.
 He ran away from prison three times.
 Now he is studying O –level German in prison. He is the only student.
 He desires to appear for the Board Examination.
 The governor has conceded to his request.
 All arrangements for the smooth conduct of the examination have been
madeSince Evans is known for his clever planning to escape from jail.
 The Governor takes no chancehe makes sure Evans has no communication with
 anybody outside the jail.
 But Evans has a couple of cunning friends to help him.
 Even the German teacher is one of his friends.
 Since Evans is the only student they together have been planning the escape.
 The invigilator, McLeery, is overpowered and one of Evans’ friends impersonates
him.
 He has worn two clerical collars, two black fronts. He had brought in a false beard
and pigs blood.
 The examination is in progress.
 But on the question paper they have superimposed all the instructions for the
escape.
 When the exam is over, McLeery is seen off at the main gate.
 But inside the cell McLeery is being sprawed, covered in blood.
 It is presumed Evans impersonated McLeery and has escaped after hitting McLeery
on the head.
 But later it is discovered Evans impersonated an injured McLeery.
 He tricks everybody Evans reached the Golden Lion Hotel.
 The Governor is able to grab him there.
 But Evans’ cunning friends arrest friends and drive him to freedom. Once again
they are able to fool the governor.
Evans wants to take the O-Level Examination.:-
 James Roderick Evans is the full name of the prisoner in Oxford prison.
 He has been taking special classes in German while in prison.
 He is the only student.
 Now he desires to appear for the O-Level Board Examination in German.
 Governor conceded to his request.
 The Board has agreed to send an invigilator to the prison to conduct the
examination in Evans’ cell.
Precautions:-
 He Governor takes no chances. He fears that Evans might overpower the invigilator
and try to escape.
 Thinking he might conceal something in his cellhe asks a senior prison officer,
Mr. Jackson to search Evans’ cell thoroughly.
 Jackson after 2 hours reported that nothing is hidden there.
 Evans’ nail-file and nail-scissors are also taken away.
 Only razor blade to shave himself.
 The governor has got a microphone fitted in the cellso he can hear every sound or
every word made in the cell.
 After his shave the blade is also taken away.
Evans:-
  He is a pleasant young man. He has not done any violence.
 He has been part of Christmas concerts.
 He is good at imitation.
 He is a kleptomaniac. He has a couple of friends who help him.
 On the morning of the exams two prison officers, Jackson and Stephens, visit him.
 Evans is wearing a wooden bobby hat.
 Jackson tells him to remove his hat. But Evans says that the hat has always
brought him good luck.
 He wants to keep it on for luck in the examination.
 Jackson a kind hearted man does not insist.
 If so he would have seen Evans had cut his long hair short.
 He had done so with the other razor blade he had.
 He has done so to impersonate McLeery, the invigilator.
The Invigilator:-
 The Board appointed S. McLeery as the invigilator to conduct the examination.
 He leaves his flat at Broad Street at 8.45 a.m. It is cold and there is drizzle.
 He is wearing a long black overcoat and a shallow-crowned clerical hat. He is a
parson.
 He is carrying a small brown suitcase which contains the
 Sealed question paper envelope.
 Invigilation form and a
 Special Authentication card from the examination board.
 After reaching the main gatehe signs his name in the visitor’s book.
 Greeted by Jackson and taken to Evans’ cell by Stephenswho has to be present to
watch the examination.
 Jackson has instructed him to be very vigilant and to report the slightest irregularity.
 Stephens unlocks the heavy iron door of Evans’ cell.
 Though Governor is worried Jackson feels that it is not possible to escape.
 Evans did not try to escape from the recreational block, where it was made easier to
escape.
 Now there are two more locked doors between Evans’ cell and the yard. The wall of
the yard is very high.
McLeery is searched:-
 The governor is worried and fears fro McLeery that McLeery might have brought
with him any thing that Evans might use to hit McLeery.
 So he instructs Jackson to have McLeery searched.
 Jackson frisks McLeery and passes his hands over the envelope.
 There is a paper knife that Jackson thinks could be used as a weapon. He decides to
keep it with him self.
 McLeery has a semi-inflated rubber ringJackson wants to know what it is
 forMcLeery tells him that he suffers from hemorrhoids. He uses it sit
onJackson lets him keep it.
 Later it proves to be a mistake.
 It contains pig’s blood.
Exam Starts:-
 McLeery tells Evans to write the name of the paper -021-1 and the index
number 313, and the centre number 271.
 Evans objects Stephenspresence inside the cell.
 Says he cannot concentrate while Stephens standing over him.
 The governor hears this on the microphoneHe thinks Evans’ request is not unjust
or dangerous.
 He tells Jackson to get Stephens out of the cell.
 But has to keep a watch through the peep hole.
Correction of the Question Paper:-
 A little laterThe Governor receives a call from the examination board.
 They tell the Governorthere is a correction in the question paper.
 Jackson receives the instructions and passes it on to McLeery.
 McLeery announced to Evans the error in the question paper.
 The word ‘goldene’ should be corrected to ‘goldenen’.
 The governor suspects it could be fake call.
 It provided the name of the hotel Golden Lion to Evans, and his friends knew
when exactly the examination started.
A Demand for a Prison Van:-
 After sometime the governor again receives a callform the Magistrate office.
 They want a prison van and two prison officials for a remand case.
 The governor does not try to find out if it is a hoax.
 But it, too is a hoax.
 When Evans is arrested later, his friends apparently carry him to prisonBut take
him to his freedom.
Stephens keeps a watch:-
 He looks the peephole every minute and later after two minutes.
 Every time he sees Evans sitting with his pen caught between his teeth. He finds
McLeery sitting slightly askew from the table.
 He is reading the Church Times and his index finger is hooked beneath his clerical
collar.
Evans Dropes Blanket Around His Shoulders:-
 Stephens is surprised at this:-
 He thinks it is an irregularity.
 He wants to report to Jackson.
 But then he thinks he is chilly inside.
  So he does not mind and continues his watch.
Governor’s Call For Stephens:-
 Just five minutes before the end of the examJackson receives a callthe governor
wants to speak to Stephens.
 Stephens leaves his duty and receives the governor’s orders.
 He is told that he himself is to accompany McLeery to the main gates. He is to see
that Evans’ cell is locked.
 Later it was found that this was a hoax.
 The governor did not make this call.
 It was a ploy to get Stephens out of the way for a couple of minutes.
McLeery leaves; McLeery is wounded:-
 Stephens accompanies McLeery to the main gatesthen he comes back.
 He goes to Evans’ cell to make sure he has actually locked Evans.
 But on reachingHe finds McLeery sprawled and covered in blood.
 The blanket slipping over his shoulders.
 He hastily presumes that Evans has hit himand impersonated himthe man who
has left was Evans.
 Makes a hue and cry.
 He is mistakeninfact McLeery has leftEvans is still in the cell. He is
impersonating McLeery.
McLeery offers to help:-
 Stephens shouts for Jackson.
 Jackson arrives and sends Stephens to ring the police and the ambulance.
 McLeery raises himselfsays he is alrightNo need to call for an ambulance.
 Instead they should call the governor.
 He knows where Evans has escaped toHe can help to grab him.
 He clutches the question paper with his blood stained hand.
 Jackson and Stephens support McLeery on either side and lead him into the yard
where the governor has already arrived.
 McLeery gives the question paper to the governor and as that he can see what they
have done.
 The governor sees the photocopied sheet was superimposed on the last
page of the question paper.(He knows a little German)
 The photocopied sheet contains instructions for Evans to escape.
McLeery (Evans) Leaves in the Police Car:-
 Detective Superintendent Carter arrives. He I shocked to see McLeery bleading.
 Suggests that McLeery should be taken to hospital.
 But McLeery says he is alright. He can help grab Evans.
 The governor tells Carter to take McLeery with him because only he can lead them
to EvansThey go
Governor sends Jackson and Stephens to Newbury:-
 The Governor is puzzled. He cannot understand how Evans was able to conceal a
false beard, spectacles and other things in his cell.
 He again looks at the question paperAccording to the directions for Evans he was
asked to go to Newgrave.
 The governor can soon see that Newgrave means Newbury.
 He tells Jackson and Stephensto go to Aldates Police Station and contact Chief
Inspector Bell here. There he rings up Bell.
McLeery Disappeared:-
 Evans, impersonating McLeery, leads Carter to Elsfield way.
 There he says he has seen Evans in a carthey chase the car but lose sight of it at
Headington.
 They reach the examination office.
 There Evans’ condition grows worse. Ring for ambulance.
 Carter says that McLeery is in Radcliffe Hospital.
 The governor rings the hospital.
 They tell him that an ambulance was sent but McLeery was not there.
 Now governor realizes that McLeery was not the actual person who was
appointed by the examination board.
Actual McLeery is Discovered :-
 The truth is discovered.
 Reverend S. McLeery is found securely bound and gagged in his study.
 He has been there since 8.15 a.m.
 Two men had called him in the morning.
 One of them impersonated McLeery.
Evans is in Golden Lion:-
 Evans has safely reached the Golden Lion in Chipping Norton.
 His friends provided him with soap, water and fresh clothes in the car.
 He is sorry he had to cut his long beautiful hair.
 Had Jackson insisted on him removing the bobby hat, he would have found his hair
cutand plan to escape would have failed.
 Evans thinks that it was good that McLeery had worn two black fronts and collars.
 But they kept slipping off the back stud.
 Evans had to keep his pen in his mouth to solve this problem.
 He had to drope the blanket to hide the black front and the stud at the back of the
collar.
Face to Face with the Governor:-
 The governor alsop reaches the Golden Lion.
 He too uses the reference 313/271 to reach Chipping Norton.
 He is in Evans’ bedroom when Evans opens itParalyzed to see the governor.
  The governor tells him that now he has no chance of escaping.
 He asks Evans how he was able to smuggle blood to pour on himself in his cell.
 He learns McLeery brought it in the rubber ring. It was pig’s blood. The governor is
amazed. He says Evans has had no visitors.
 Evans tells him that his German teacher was not from the technical college.
 He was Evans’ friend. They together had been planning the escape.
Evans is Arrested to be Set Free:
 Governor is happy. He is able to grab Evans.
 Comes down the stairsthe receptionist tells the Governor that the prison van is
parked outside.
 The prison officer handcuffs Evans. Drives away with him.
 But as the prison van turns into the Oxford road. The prison officer unlocks the
handcuffs and they move to Newbury.
 Obviously the prison officers were Evans’ friends.
 They had acquired a prison van in the morning on the pretext that it was needed
by the Magistrate’s office for a remand case.

summary ( the enemy)

The Enemy
--Pearl S Buck

 Pearl S Buck was an American but brought up in China.

 She knew China well.
 She wrote about Chinese people, their attitude and customs.
 Her novel ‘The Good Earth’ won a Nobel Prize in literature for her.
 Buck had a humanistic attitude to the problems of life.
 She felt that while nations were at war individuals were humans.
 They could feel for others.
 They could even help people from enemy countries.
 Human feelings of love and sympathy are universal.

 ‘The Enemy’ tells the story of a Japanese doctor who hates Americans because of his
patriotism.[America and Japan were at war.]
 An American prisoner of war is washed ashore in front of a Japanese doctor’s house.
 The soldier is wounded and has evidently escaped from prison.
 He could have bled to death. No reason to save him.

 But Dr. Sadao helped him and saved his life.

  Kept him in his house at a great risk and reputation.

 He finally helped him to escape.

 He did it despite hating the American and he does not know why he did so.

Sadao and Hana:-

 Sadao was Japanese.
 His father was a patriot.
 He sent Sadao to America to study surgery.
 Sadao met Hana therea pure Japanese.
 They came home and married according to the old Japanese customs.
 They had two children.

An American Soldier is washed up to their house.:-

 Dr. Sadao’s house was a solitary house on the sea-shore.

 One evening, an American soldier was washed ashore in front of their house.
 The man crawled in front of their house and then fell unconscious..
 Dr. Sadao and Hana ran to helpFound an American had been shot in the back. He
was bleeding.
 They thought of throwing back in to the sea.
 But they could not do so.

 He plunged the wound to stop the bleeding, carried him home.

Hana washes the soldier:-

 The soldier was covered with slushSadao asked for hot water.
 They did not want to tell their servants about the white man.
 It was a crime to harbour an American.

 But Hana felt they could not keep it a secret for long.
 They decided to tell the servantsThey would hand him over to the polics as soon as
th man recovered.
 Hana told Yumi and returned woth Yumi carrying hot water.
 Yumi looked at the American with repulsion.
 She refused to wash the dirty American.
 Hana shouted but Yumi refused and remained stubborn.
 So Hana sent ther to the childrenangry at her stupidity.
  She washed the man herself. She also did not like him.

Sadao Operates on the American.:-

 He returned with his ssurgeons’s emergency bag.
 He turned over the wounded soldier who lay unconscious.
 He washed his back and asked Hana to help him.
 He wanted her to give the patient the anesthetic.
 He removed the padding from the woundbegan to bleed.
 Hana had never seen an operation she felt like vomiting.
 She rushed out of the room and retchedBut returned.
 He told Hana to saturate cotton anesthetic and keep it.
 Sadao saw the bullet in the wound.
 Hana observed that there were red scars on the soldier’s neck.
 He had been tortured.
 He muttered about the torture in his deep sleep.

 Sadao removed the bullet form the wound.

 The soldier’s pulse which was weak had grown strong after the injection.
 He declared that the American would survive.

Sadao and Hana look after the American:-

 They nursed the American.
 His wound was healing and he was gaining strength.
 But the servants were becoming restless.
 The gardener felt he should have been allowed to bleed to death. But the cook
feltSadao was proud of his skills.

 They spoke loudly and let Hana know their repulsion for the American.
 They wished the American to be handed over to the police without any further delay.

Servants leave Sadao’s house:-

 The servants leave Sadao’s house.
 They did not work that morning.
 Hana paid them their wages.
 They cried as they left. Hana held back her tears.

 The gardener was there since he was a boy. Yumi was attached to the children.
 Hana had to do all the household work on her own.
 Hana wanted Sadao to get rid of the American quickly. Sadao promised to do
 something about it.

The Arrival of a Messenger:-

 In the evening a messenger in uniform arrived.
 Hana was paralyzed with fright.
 She felt the servants must have complainedand the messenger had come to arrest
Sadao.
 The fears were unfounded the old general had been suffering from an ailment.
 Sadao had been treating him The general was in pain and had sent for him.

Sadao Cannot be Arrested:-

 The general trusted Sadao. He knew he might need to be operated upon.
 That is why Sadao was not sent away with the troops.

 Sadao had told the general about the American.

 The general told him that he was indispensable and could not be arrested.
 General suggested a way out he would send two of his private assassins to his house
to kill the American quietly and remove the body.
 Sadao agreed to the plan.

 Sadao waited for 3 nights. No assassins arrived.

 The American was getting better. He thanked Sadao.

Sadao helps the American to escape:-

 Sadao found it difficult to keep the American in his house any longer.
 He was tiredwaiting for the assassins to do away with him.
 So he decided to help him to escape.
 Sadao provided him with his boat.
 He put food water, and quilts in his boat.
 He also gave the American his flashlight.
 There was an uninhabited island very close to the shore.
 He told the American to sail to the island.

 There he could live till he found a Korean fishing boat pass by the island.
 Then he could seek help and escape to freedom.
 He warned the American not to make any fire.
 He could catch fish and eat it raw.
  It was a moonless night. The American sailed away to the island.

Sadao tells the General about the escape:-

 Sadao was again called by the general. He operates on the general.
 Sadao told the general that the prisoner had escaped.
 The general recalled he had failed to send the assassins.
 He had forgotten to keep his promise.
 He assuredit was not because of lack of patriotism nor dereliction of duty.
 He was simply absorbed in his own affairs.

 Sadao realized that he was safe.

 But he assured the general that he would ever remain loyal to him.

Servants return:-
 As the American had leftall the servants returned.
 Things came back to normal.
 Sadao remembered the American and hated him. But did not know why he saved his
life and not kill him.